German physician and scientist Özlem Türeci co-founded the biotechnology company which developed the first messenger RNA-based vaccine approved for use against COVID-19. She has more than 25 years of experience in the areas of cancer research, immuno-oncology, and vaccine-based therapies. Over her long career, she has won several awards and authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications.
Born in 1967 in Germany to Turkish biologist and surgeon immigrant parents, Türeci studied medicine at Saarland University in Homburg and received her doctorate from the Medical Faculty of Saarland in 1992. She then completed her habilitation qualification at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz in the field of molecular medicine.
Along with her husband, scientist Dr Uğur Şahin, she co-founded Ganymed Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biotech company specializing in developing monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of solid cancers. Türeci served as its CEO until its sale to Astellas Pharma in 2016 for over €400 million, which made the couple some of Germany’s wealthiest citizens.
In 2008, they then co-founded their second company, BioNTech SE. Türeci joined as a clinical and scientific advisory board member before becoming its Chief Medical Officer in 2018. Based out of the couple’s hometown of Mainz, BioNTech SE is one of Europe’s most innovative biopharmaceutical companies, focusing on the development of individualized therapies for cancer and other diseases.
When Türeci and her husband first heard of a nebulous virus popping up in China, they felt a moral imperative to help in any way they could. Given their previous work in the field of cancer research, they realized they could apply similar research principles to the development of a COVID-19 vaccine. They did just that with the help of their team and by partnering with Pfizer.
“Many of us have not had vacations and have worked through the weekends, that is why we have been able to do it. We are available for different time zones too; we are in constant meetings with Pfizer in America and with our Chinese partner,” Türeci once explained.
As a result of this hard work, BioNTech’s value has grown substantially during the pandemic. The new funds will help the company pursue its initial aim of developing an innovative method for fighting cancer.
Time can only tell what Türeci and her company will bring to the world of medicine in the future.